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The functionally antagonistic POU family transcription factors Brr‐3a and Brn‐3b show opposite changes in expression during the growth arrest and differentiation of human neuroblastoma cells
Author(s) -
Smith Martin D.,
Latchman David S.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19960904)67:5<653::aid-ijc11>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - pou domain , neuroblastoma , transcription factor , biology , expression (computer science) , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , cell culture , gene , computer science , homeobox , programming language
The Brn‐3a and Brn‐3b POU family transcription factors have previously been shown to have functionally antagonistic effects, with Brn‐3a activating specific gene promoters which are repressed by Brn‐3b. We show here that proliferating cell lines of human neuroblastoma origin have a high ratio of Brn‐3b to Brn‐3a compared with other cell lines derived from related tumours. Moreover, the level of Brn‐3a rises and that of Brn‐3b falls when neuroblastoma cell lines are exposed to treatments which induce a cessation of proliferation. Such treatments also result in the activation of a test promoter which is normally stimulated by Brn‐3a and repressed by Brn‐3b. Our findings suggest that these antagonistic factors may play a key role in regulation of gene expression during human neuroblastoma differentiation and could thus represent a potential therapeutic target for treatments designed to induce such differentiation. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.